Rotary hoe



y 1952 P. H. THOMAS 2,603,136

ROTARY HOE Filed Nov. 8, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet l July 15, 1952 Filed Nov.8, 1943 P. H. THOMAS ROTARY HOE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jul 15, 1952 THOMAS2,603,136

ROTARY HOE Filed Nov. 8, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 m v f}; 0

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1 Q :3 Q! l A I m R Q i i? .6 a 0 g I m B Q l O I n \JI u /i I\\ I I oiI s I; I J 7 g J? P. H. THOMAS July 15, 1952 ROTARY HOE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4Filed Nov. 8, 1948 P. H. THOMAS July 15, E952 ROTARY HOE 5 Sheets-Sheet5 Filed Nov. 8, 1948 2, i mm mm Q mm U mm 8 g, a

Q L Q Q O 3 Y NU 11 m l/r Patented July 15, 1952 z: 1 if:

UNITED; STATES PA-TENT cenes I ROTARYHOE T1 rertyinarol'd Thomas,Btecrtrt; nea swney, 7

New South .7 Wales, Australia, "'assignor "to Ho'ward*' Auto-CultivatorsLimited; Northme'ad, ,New South'Wales, Australia, a corporation oif TNew SouthWaIea: Australia .IA' blic'ftion Noveniljer s, 1948;seti't'tiilvo3t359 'In Australia November 25,1947

2 Claims. (or- 97 40) fruit -inte t twhasj been devisedto *srttiee a vrotary "hoe of thetype' adapted to be "trailed behind'a tractor forother power vehicle (called "herein 'a"trailer"hoe) and] to beactuatedby a members Ii and. 12 are afiixed. A drawi-bar frame'consisting' 'of side memb'ers lB andf'ront *"member" [4, "is-afilxedby' sjai'd side-members' to the'bottom of-th'e'box'ass'embly l'llandprojects hower'take-dfi from the'vehi'cle. '5 forwardly therefrom.-Abovethe*draw bar frame, ,Aieature of theinvention is that theweight of""a" pinion shafthorising l5 "is---aflixedto *the' hox the "trailer hoeis -substantially borne by' land *msemtmlo. M wheels, -and that'fo'r'c'es created 'by'" the hoe in "Sideframes" l t -and"lT-areamxedito the tiihuoperation' willhot produce appreciableuplift or larframe memb'ersl' rand l2 'respe'ctive1'y; Side dowiinull "of"thetra'ctor. "frame" I 1" has 'a 'chain' case 18" mounted on the IAfurthejr featured the invention is that the 'onte'rfface thereof.At*or"hear the"f-ront'-:ends lioe'will'folljow' the contour'or theground'irre- 'fbf the S166 frames- 1|filmflm ere argibubwafdly "Sheetiveoff thefposition of L the' tractor- Within proj'e'ttingnwot"bearingsic-J 9a on *Which' a'ie l practi'c'al" limits. "mounted-*lever armsiiu ma.These' le'ver arms "Basically the' ir'iveiition consist's'dnthe 'c'o'n"projectrearward-ly'and passthrough'guide brack- 'struction of-a'trailerhoehavlngatiibularmain "'"ets 2i- 2la 'andthe ends" ofsaidlever 'armsare frame.positioned"transversely; housing a""driven "bent downwardly.Axles'lt -rza 'are aflixed 'to shaftfan'd afiixedcentrallyto "a boxassembly the ends'of sai'd'le'ver armsandhavelandwheelshoiisinga'gearand' shaft'connection'to a' tele- "'23-23a*mounted"thereon. Land whe'elhei'g'ht scopic 'powertransmissionshait'connecte'd' there go'fajdjusting andweight'supportingrods'2-4'"2-'4a are to," which transmission shaft is connected to a"pivoted to lngs'onthe lever arms' 2011. Said 'nowentake-bfi' on thetractor 'bymeans of unilever armsiprojectupwafdl'y ng versal'couplin'gs.The boxassernblyal'so has a keepfbracketsfi-i5a,Holes in' these rods24=- dr w-b structure on e tractor y "2412' and in" the brackets flt-zta' are *a d'apted' ior "means or auniversal'couplihg- 25 thereception of suitable locking pins. The ar- -T 1 main framehes"'side'fremesf rang'ement loftheseiever"armsis' suchthat the fixedthereto, and'each side 'ir'a'me 'hasan' arm -d e 22 can v g' mvedthrough an iiffivbtd t i jelq ed qe' e w d n h arcuate path 'for thepurpose of setting the'depth 9?; e e, a sp e l rew of the rotor. The'objectof this c'on'striictioii' is 'We f am at 8 9 fi e l hw land tomaintain'theaxis' of the'land"Whls2343a wheels mounted thereon Qa P T YqQ to at all positions as near as, practicable to theqaxis ir ee s a ldelml d. angular posmons' at of "the rotor shaft'in aajfvertical plane sothat the The Side frames have mwmmgs there rotor win; follow the contourof'the 'landitravthe hoe rotor af Wan 9' th the axis of ersed -by'thelandwheels at the depth at'which h 'Q ha me i e W i. saidwheelsare-set. 'Elevator means whichiai the l W i a cilitate the settingof theland wheels will be' devertical plane when m their-various--sett1ngs. sclatefm this Specification I one .side has 'jcham case chains Side frameI6 has-a stub axle 26 afiixed'thereto, connect-mg the 'qriven i to thehoe as best shown in Fig.4, and thisst ub axle carries mi"? ha t. G 3? il be .s.ul.astltuted h a bearing?! on 'which one end of atnbular rotor'1 chams- Means are amesald shaft 28 is mounted The other endof therotor flstruot'ure' to lift the trailer hoeduring adjustment Shaft;zarlhals a fian 29 hereon; andi-lther is} 1n m s l. i. 1'bearingsleeve--3El within the end of said rotor The. partlafmarrconstmctmn and arrangement shaft-witha flange 3| thereon whioh iscomple- :j b f the aforesaid and other features Of thB- v t t t flange.29 MA; t 1 32. 1 i i n are, I Q3 PQ m g anpexecfl :splinedandboltedin-the' bearing sleeve30, -and drawmgs 15 perspe? ve vlfew 0said bearing sleeve is held in position by clamp the complete trailerhoe in operative position; ring 33 and spring loaded studs There are 2 aslde elevatlon in the direction of the friction linings 35 between theflanges 29 and 3| arrow m F 1; Figs- 3 and 4 and are arranged and clampring 33. This arrangement constiin three parts A, B, C, respectively andtoget tutes a safety clutch. The rotor shaft 28 has form an enlargedplan partly in sec lonblades mounted thereon which are indicated at rthe purpose of this description, the trailer 36, which blades are ofconventional construction. h is built p from a bOX mbly l0, to the Thestub axle 32 passes through a bearing 31 sides of which laterallyextending, tubular frame in the side frame I! and projects into thechain member 12 has a bevel gear 4| thereon located within the boxassembly l0, and there is sprocket wheel 42 within the chain case, l8..

There is a chain drive as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, from thissprocket wheel'42 to the sprocket wheel 38 on the stub axle 32. 1

A bevel gear 43 meshes with bevel gear 4|, and is keyed to a shaft 44rotatably mounted in bearings in the housing IS. A telescopic cardanshaft 45 is connected by a universal coupling 46 4 allow a small amountof side movement of the hoe during transport but leave the main weightof the hoe supported by the cables 5151a. The arrangement of the cablesand chains is such that p when the hoe is lowered to operating position,

both are sufficiently slack to permit limited side movement of the hoe.

I claim:

1. A trailer hoe construction comprising, in combination, a tubular mainframe in two axiallyaligned andspaced parts positioned transversely tothe pinion shaft 44, and by universal coupling;

41 to a tractor power take-off shaft indicated The front member 14 ofthe draw-bar frame has a universal coupling 49, and a draw-bar 5i! affixed to this coupling is rotatably mounted in a draw block 5i affixedto the tractor.

Means are provided on the tractor to elevate the trailer hoe for thepurpose of transport and for adjusting the depth setting of the hoe asdescribed above. In the embodiment illustrated, these means consist of ahydraulic plunger rod in pivotal contact with a plunger in cylinder 52.

This cross shaft 53 has a pair of parts to the are indicated at 55 inFig. 2. The crank arms 54-5411 are connected at their free ends by stayrod 56, and cables 5! and 51A extend between the ends of said stay rod56 and suitable lugs on tubular frame members Hl2. In addition, a pairof chains 5959a are anchored to said lugs on tubular frame members Il-l2by bolts 5858a, then cross diagonally, and have their other endsanchored to brackets '506ila on the stay rod 56. 7

Roller buffers 6 [-6 la are mounted in brackets 6262a onlugs $363aaffixed to the tubular frame members I li2. These roller buffers arepositioned to abut the tractor wheels, indicated at 64 when extremitiesof right and left trailing are reached.

' As constructed, the trailing hoe can swing or trail to the right andleft, can rise and fall about the hoe to central position whereupon bothcables 515la will tighten and thereafter effect the lift of the hoe toits elevated position. The chains 59- 5% are then just slack enough toof the trailer hoe, a box assembly between said aligned and spaced partsand secured thereto, 9.

- driven shaft axially aligned within one of said '15 parts and havingits inner end within said box assembly, agear on said inner end of saiddriven shaft, a drive shaft having one end extending into said boxassembly, a gear on said one end of said drive'shaft and meshing withsaid gear on said driven shaft, a telescopic power transmission shafthaving one end connected to the other end of said drive shaft by meansof a universal'coupling, a power takeoff on a tractor connected to theother end of said power transmissionshaft by means of a universalcoupling, a draw-bar structure on said trailer hoe connected to thetractor by means of a universal coupling, side frames affixed to theouter ends of the tubular .main frame parts and projecting rcarwardlytherefrom, said side frames each having an arm pivoted thereto at theforward end thereof, said arms projecting rcarwardly and downwardly andhaving land wheels mounted on their rear ends, means to hold said armsat determined positions, mountings on said side frames, a hoe rotorshaft with blades thereon arranged in said mountings so that the axis ofsaid hoe rotor shaft is maintained relatively close to the axis of theland wheels in a vertical plane in the various settings of the landwheels, one said side frame having a chain case thereon, and a chain insaid case connecting the driven shaft to the hoe rotor shaft, and meansto elevate the trailer hoe during adjustment and transport thereof.

2. A trailer hoe as defined in claim 1 wherein the draw-bar structureincludes longitudinallyextending side frame members having one end ofeach member connected to the said box assembly at opposite sidesthereof, and their other ends connected to the tractor by means of saiduniversal coupling between said draw-bar structure and said tractor.

PERCY HAROLD THOMAS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 580,402 Johnson -1-.. Apr. 13,1897 919,039 Leoni Apr. 20, 1909 1,262,286 Thomas 1- Apr. 9, 19181,830,565 Schaeifers Nov. 3, 1931 1,843,119 Bussman Feb. 2, 19322,032,467 Burke Mar. 3, 1936 2,051,694 Fishleigh Aug. 18, 1936

